King of Darkness
by Hagetaka
Summary: pre OoT  Every 100 years, a male child is born into the Gerudo clan who will lead their tribe in their life of isolation.  However, the birth of the child Ganondorf was something that would change the tribe forever.
1. Male

Chapter 1: Male

In the beginning of the world, when the three goddesses made the realm of Hyrule, they also made the six races of people that called the land their home. To the race that called themselves "Gerudo" was given the land between the Great Wasteland and the valley that defined the western edge of Hyrule. It was in this region that the Gerudo settled and built a great fortress, so that they could defend themselves from the other races that lived to the east and the monsters that lived in the west.

On the far side of the desert, the Gerudo built a temple honoring the great spirit of the desert. When the temple was completed, all the young Gerudo began to make pilgrimages to the temple as a rite of passage into adulthood. This custom pleased the spirit, and she made the Gerudo prosperous and strong. But as the centuries passed, the pilgrimage was discontinued, and the spirit became displeased. In her anger, she placed a curse on the Gerudo tribe so that their women would only bear female children. Only one child born every hundred years would be male, and when he was born, the tribe would have to obey him completely.

The centuries passed, and the tribe became accustomed to their curse. Every spring, the warriors of the tribe rode out into Hyrule, capturing Hylian men to ensure the survival of their race.

On a winter morning, long after the curse had been set on the people of the valley, a young woman of the tribe gave birth to a child. The woman's name was Meari, and she had just that spring participated in the annual spring raid for the first time, having come of age to do so. The child's father had been a man from Hyrule village, but to the Gerudo tribe he was just another of the nameless men who had been captured for the good of the tribe.

It was something that had happened countless times in the tribe before, but this time was different, special. Unlike the vast majority of births in the Gerudo tribe, the child of Maeri had been born male.


	2. Archery

Chapter 2: Archery

The arrow sailed through the air toward its target. The boy who had fired the arrow stood still, his bow still raised as though his aim still had an effect on the arrow's flight. There was a dull _thud_, clearly audible in the silent canyon, as the projectile struck the target, joining nine other arrows scattered between the center and edge.

The boy cursed under his breath as he lowered his bow. Out of all the shots he had made today, not one of them had hit the center region of the target. _At least I've stopped missing the target completely,_ he thought as he set down his bow. He cursed again, this time at his archery instructor for only giving him ten arrows.

"Does Richou know that you talk about her like that?"

The boy turned around. He had been so intent on hitting the target that he had not noticed when the girl had entered the archery range and sat on a crate behind him. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore the traditional loose desert clothing of the Gerudo tribe. Overall, she was unremarkable among the other young girls of the tribe.

"I'd like to see her do something about it," he retorted.

"An eight-year old shouldn't use language like that."

"I'll talk however the hell I want."

"Don't they teach you manners?" The question shocked the boy, and he remained silent for a moment. Of course children were expected to be courteous to the adults of the tribe, but nobody ever really expected the race of thieves and bandits to teach their children much beyond obeying their elders.

"Not really," he replied finally, unable to come up with a suitable comeback. He walked up to the target on the other side of the range and pulled out his arrows. When he returned to his bow, the girl was still there.

"Would you mind leaving?" he asked. "I can't concentrate on the target when you're watching me."

"It looks like you were having trouble even without me here," she replied.

"Like you could do any better. A little five-year old like you probably couldn't even draw the bow."

"Care to test that?" she asked, responding to the challenge in his voice. Without another word, the boy raised his bow and fired five arrows at his target in quick succession. They all hit within the middle ring at least, and one of them even landed in the center region!

"Beat that," he said, handing his bow over to the girl. For a moment she struggled with the weapon, which was slightly stronger than she was used to, and her first shot at the target next to the boy's nearly missed altogether. In a short time, however, she had fired all of her remaining arrows. Not a single one after the first had landed outside the center region. The final arrow was embedded in the dead center of the target.

"By the way," she said as she set down the bow and began to walk away, "I'm six."


	3. Storm

Chapter 3: Storm

The wind was picking up as the boy returned to the fortress from the archery range. There would probably be a storm that night, restricting every member of the tribe to the interior of the fortress. Even now there was sand being blown into the child's face, obscuring his vision. By the time he had reached the fortress area, visibility was limited so much that the boy couldn't see his hand when his arm was held away from his body. After stumbling around, the boy tripped, falling to the floor. When he got up, he could no longer remember what direction he needed to go. It was getting harder to breathe in the blowing sand.

Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind. A cloth was tied over his nose and mouth, and breathing suddenly became much easier. Somebody grabbed his arm firmly, leading him away through the storm. The boy did not worry about who the person might be or where they were leading him: he knew that wherever it was would be better than staying outside. He did the best he could to follow, but after taking only a few steps passed out.

The first thing the boy noticed when he woke up was stone. Although he at first thought that he had been safely brought back to the fortress, he soon found himself to be quite wrong. As his vision cleared, he realized that the rock above had the rough texture of a desert cave, not the smooth stone of the stronghold ceilings. A short distance away was the irregular entrance of the cave, and beyond that the storm still raged.

"You okay?" The speaker was the girl who had beat him in archery earlier that day. She leaned against the back wall of the cave, watching as he stood up.

"Fine." He headed to the entrance.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you," the girl warned him.

"I'll manage."

"You sure are insane," she commented. "I wouldn't even go out when it's like this. You're better off waiting until the storm dies down."

The boy continued on his way toward the storm.

"Are you even listening to me? I said it's dangerous out there."

Her words fell on deaf ears. The boy had already vanished into the storm outside.

"Dammit!" she exclaimed. As quick as she could, the girl ran out into the screaming wind and dragged the boy back into the safety of the cave.

"Why won't you let me go?" he screamed over the howling wind.

"Just wait until the storm passes," she instructed. "You'll never make it if you go out when it's like this. How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"You managed just fine. It can't be that hard."

"I've been taught how to survive out there. How much training like that have you had?" Her words stung like a blow.

"Nobody talks to me like that!" he shouted. A second later he was laying on his side on the ground, watching as the girl knelt down so that her face was almost level with his, speaking softly but with a firm voice.

"My name is Nabooru, and I'll talk however I want to whoever I please," she told him. "You're a little runt who has little physical strength and no survival skills. If I tell you you'll die if you go out there, it's probably true."

"I'm not a runt," he responded, the anger rising in his voice. "My name is Ganondorf."


	4. Lost

Chapter 4: Lost

"Hey, come here!"

Ganondorf walked over to where Nabooru was beckoning him.

"Do you think you could walk a little faster?" she asked. "We've still got a good distance left to go."

"How far did you take me out here?" They had been walking for a quarter-hour at least, and Ganondorf still had not seen anything that he recognized as being near the fortress.

"I took you to the nearest shelter I could find," Nabooru replied as she climbed up the short ridge in front of them. She turned to give him a hand up, which he refused. "Suit yourself," she said as he struggled up onto the ledge.

"I wasn't traveling this long before you found me," he protested. "I was only wandering around for a few minutes."

"Those storms work in strange ways," she explained. "When you get caught it one, you might feel like you've only gone a short distance, but you'll find yourself miles from where you started. If there's any way you can avoid them, you should take it." She watched as Ganondorf finally managed to pull himself up, then immediately took off.

"Wait!" he called. "Don't you ever slow down a little?" She came to a halt right before the path forked in two. While he took time to catch his breath, she regarded each of the two paths before them with a worried look.

"We go this way," she decided, heading toward the right-hand path. Ganondorf quickly followed before she was gone from sight completely. The pace that Nabooru set was quicker than before, as though she was anxious to return. Several more times they came to places where the path split into two or more trails. At each of these places, they hesitated while Nabooru recalled which path they should take. Grudgingly, Ganondorf had to admit that without her guiding him, he would have been lost.

Hours later, they were still traveling. Nabooru sometimes had to spend up to a quarter-hour at each fork, and several times they were forced to backtrack when she remembered wrong. It was now well past midday, and they were beginning to feel the effects of hunger.

Suddenly, Nabooru collapsed to the floor. Ganondorf, who had been walking behind her, saw when she began to fall but was unable to reach her in time to catch her. Carefully, he lifted her off of the ground and into a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She responded with silence. Worried about what might happen if she were unable to continue, Ganondorf moved her into the shade of the boulders to the side of the path. He set her down with her back against the rocks, and was about to sit down beside her when he heard her mumble something.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"…can't… do this." A single tear ran down her young face. Moments later it was followed by a second, and then by yet another.

"What?"

"I can't remember…" She was crying harder now, unable to hold it back any more. "I don't know where we are."

"What are you talking about?" Ganondorf asked, trying to think of ways to cheer her up. "You've been doing fine with getting us back so far."

"No," she sobbed, "I can't ever remember being here. I can't remember being any of these places." She stopped talking long enough to pull up her knees and rest her head on them. "At the first fork, I thought that we might be able to find a place I could recognize if we kept going. I haven't recognized any of these places yet, and all we've been doing is getting even more lost."

"I'm sure we just need to backtrack a little," Ganondorf reassured her. "We're probably only a few miles away from the fortress."

"I'd know it if we were!" Startled by her outburst, Ganondorf looked over into Nabooru's tear-soaked face. "We're nowhere close to home, and we're going to die out here." She turned her head back to resting on her knees, letting out muffled sobs every few minutes. Ganondorf did not know what to say to her, because he was afraid that she was right. For a long time he just sat there, watching as the girl's crying grew quieter as she gradually fell asleep. By this time it was late in the afternoon; the sun would be setting in a few hours.

Now, Ganondorf knew what he had to do. As gently as he could, he lifted Nabooru's sleeping body off of the ground. With the girl cradled in his arms, he began the long journey ahead of him.


	5. Blame

Chapter 5: Blame

The wind was starting to pick up again as Ganondorf approached the fortress. _Just in time,_ he thought. In another few minutes, the storm would return, leaving them just as lost as they had been before. Ganondorf still had no idea why traveling was so complicated during a storm, but he was much to smart to let himself be caught defenseless in the same way twice. From now on, he would remain inside during the storms until he had learned how to navigate and survive during them.

In the slight shelter of the fortress wall, he paused to check on Nabooru. The girl had not woken in the few hours that Ganondorf had been finding his way back on his own. Unlike Nabooru, he had no idea how to figure out when he was approaching their home, so he merely relied on intuition whenever a choice had to be made. There were errors, certainly, but in the end he had managed to reach their destination just before the sun set and the blowing sand resumed.

Throughout the journey, Ganondorf had worried about her. While he had known her only for a very short time and honestly found her constant air of superiority to be _extremely_ annoying, he had to admit that she had known what was needed, not just to survive, but to rescue him from the storm as well. As a result, he felt indebted to her and did not want to see her come to any harm from trying to help him. He hoped that she was merely suffering from a combination of exhaustion and depression, and that a few days of rest were all she needed. He refused to consider the alternative.

Once he passed the threshold of the main entrance, they were immediately noticed. A few adults came to take Nabooru out of his arms, carrying her away to what Ganondorf hoped was the healer's quarters, although he was far too weary to ask about her. More adults came to escort Ganondorf to his own quarters, barraging him with questions about what had happened. He occasionally tried to answer a question or two, only to be drowned out by the voices of the other women. Somebody must have eventually sent them all away, or else Ganondorf simply fell asleep in the midst of their interrogation.

Even with everything he had been through, he still awoke the next day at sunrise, the same as always. Immediately after eating a light breakfast, he left the fortress and headed straight for the training grounds. Only one thing changed between his normal routine and today: as he was leaving, he checked with the morning watch to see if there was another storm expected for the afternoon.

He arrived at the training ground and began his daily routine. First he retrieved his wooden practice sword from the shed and began to run through his forms. When he had finished, he became aware that he had an audience.

"You'll never get stronger that way," Nabooru commented from the top of the shed. How she had managed to climb up there without being noticed was a mystery, but Ganondorf realized that he had probably not been paying attention to his surroundings while concentrating on his exercises.

"I don't know any of the more advanced forms," he replied, slightly annoyed that she had interrupted his practice session for such a trivial comment. Granted, he had already finished his sword forms, but he had other things to practice as well.

"I don't mean that," she corrected, slipping down from the roof and onto the ground below. In her hand she carried a cloth bundle. "I meant that you won't ever manage with a real sword if you keep practicing with that pathetic little stick."

Ganondorf looked down at his sword. It was smaller than a normal sword, and made of wood so that he could get used to the forms without having to worry about struggling to lift a metal weapon. It was the standard equipment that all Gerudo children trained with.

"Take this!" Nabooru yelled, grabbing something out of the bundle and throwing it toward him. Ganondorf reached out to grab it, but dropped it when it turned out to be heavier than he had expected. More carefully this time, he picked it up off of the ground to examine it. It was a practice sword, but unlike his it was made of steel, with the blade wrapped in several layers of cloth to soften the impact.

"This is what you should be practicing with," she explained. "That little branch of yours is nice, but you might as well be learning your forms all over again when you switch to the real thing. This will be more useful to you in the long run."

Ganondorf gave the sword a few experimental swings. It was much different from his old weapon, which had been almost weightless compared to what he had now. He looked up to that Nabooru, only to discover that she had pulled out a pair of smaller practice swords.

"Now," she said with a grin, "let's see how good you are with something more real." A second later she was almost on top of him, bringing her right-hand sword forward in a low thrust at his stomach. Ganondorf barely had time to sidestep the attack, caught off guard by the sudden assault. He quickly gathered his wits and strength, bringing his own sword up to direct Nabooru's second blade to the side as she struck again.

The more he fought with the metal practice sword, the better he got. He grew used to it to the point where he could apply techniques from the forms he had learned with the wooden sword, and discovered that he could hold his ground against Nabooru, despite her greater experience with the heavier weapons.

Immediately after Nabooru launched a particularly nasty strike, Ganondorf saw his opening. He brought the sword around with all of the strength he could manage into Nabooru's unprotected side. Too late, she saw what he was doing and tried to block it. Even though she managed to get her swords between Ganondorf's and her body, the larger weapon easily knocked hers back, continuing through to hit her ribs with almost full force.

She collapsed to the ground, and Ganondorf began to regret what he had just done. When they were fighting, she had been an opponent, but now the competition was over and Ganondorf remembered that she was still just a girl who was two years younger than him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He knelt down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm…fine," she replied, although her voice clearly revealed that she was in quite a bit of pain. With great difficulty and a little help from Ganondorf, she managed to stand. Carefully, she lifted up the bottom of her shirt to inspect her ribs where she had been hit. A large bruise was already spreading, but it was something else that caught Ganondorf's attention.

"What happened to your back?" he asked. Startled, she pulled her shirt back down.

"N-Nothing," she stammered, but Ganondorf was already running back toward the fortress, his practice sword lying in the sand where he dropped it. On the way, he ran into several people who gave him startled glances and hurriedly stepped out of his way. Minutes later, he stood panting outside the chamber of the elders. The door was open, so he went right in.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" one of them asked crossly.

"What did you do to Nabooru?" he demanded.

"Nabooru's punishment is none of your concern," another replied.

"I'm making it my concern," he said impatiently. "Why was she punished?" The elders grew angrier, and began muttering amongst themselves.

"Nabooru was punished for leaving the fortress during a storm," one explained. "As a result, we were required to divert the resources of the tribe into finding her. For causing such trouble, she was given forty lashes."

"What about me?" Ganondorf asked. "I was the one out there during the storm."

"You were training as ordered by me," Richou, the combat instructor, clarified. "She had no such reason for being outside at the time."

"She came to find _me_!"

"Enough!" The room fell silent as the chief elder rose and glared at Ganondorf. "The punishment was decided on by this council, and could not be undone even if we _were_ to decide that the earlier decision was wrong." She paused before continuing. "This intrusion and outburst, however, is unfitting of any member of this tribe, no matter what their status may be." Without another word from her, the two guards standing to either side of the door grabbed Ganondorf by the arms and dragged him out.

He knew right away what was going on. He prepared himself as Richou entered the room with a coiled whip, but nothing he tried was able to keep him from crying out in pain when the leather struck his back.


	6. Friend

Chapter 6: Friend

The wind shifted to blow directly into Ganondorf's face, stinging his eyes with particles of sand. As he reached up to pull the hood of his cloak down lower over his eyes, he suddenly stopped. The sound of sand hitting his body was echoed a short distance away. Someone else was coming.

Moving as quietly as possible, he turned and strafed left around his opponent. In all likelihood, the attacker knew exactly where he was standing and could detect his presence, so Ganondorf tried to make the movement appear natural, as though he had heard a sound far in the distance as opposed to nearby. It was a ploy that probably wouldn't work, but it might buy him a little extra time. His opponent would not underestimate him.

The sound drew closer. Ganondorf raised his weapon to be ready when the enemy attacked. After a moment of consideration, he lunged toward the sound, swinging the sword with deadly presision at his opponent's side. The attack missed completely, and Ganondorf realized that he was completely vulnerable at the moment. Fortunately, he managed to guess his opponent's next move and barely managed to block the thrust at his ribs. The lack of vision was a major disadvantage, more so to Ganondorf than the other. At most he could just make out a blurred outline of someone a few feet away, useless while in combat. He had to end this soon, or he would never stand a chance.

Moving as swiftly as possible, he dashed to the side. The enemy followed, keeping pace but a few feet behind and to one side. Suddenly, Ganondorf planted his feet in the sand and reversed direction. He ducked as the oppenent's blade passed right over his head, bringing his weapon around to block the second strike that he knew was coming. They made contact, but as the enemy weapon pulled away Ganondorf quickly swung his weapon into their side.

"Stop!" the opponent yelled. The command was not directed at Ganondorf, but simply shouted out into the environment, where it should have been lost on the harsh winds. Instead, the winds themselves began to die down, allowing the sand to settle. Within seconds, the air was completely still, and his vision returned, revealing the stone walls of a chamber and an angry red-haired woman.

"You didn't have to hit so hard," his opponent remarked. "I think you broke one of my ribs."

"I just wanted to make sure you felt it, that's all," he replied. "I think that in half of these matches you lie about being hit, Nabooru."

"I do no such thing!" she said indignantly. "I always win fair and square. As if I would have to cheat just to beat someone like you."

"Always," he smirked, "except today." They had reached the door of the chamber, which Ganondorf pushed open and walked through. On the other side, his turned to hold it open for Nabooru.

"Thank you," she commented. "Don't think I'm going to forget this."

"I wasn't going to let you." For the first time, he had managed to beat her in her own environment. He had learned much about surviving storms from her, but she knew more still that he would never be able to understand.

In fact, much of the knowledge and skills he possessed had been attained with the help of Nabooru. He was no longer the weak, ignorant boy of eight years he had been when they had first met. Now, after eight years of sparring against her in all sorts of conditions, he was more that her match in sword fighting. Archery, unarmed combat, and tracking remained her areas of dominance, while they were an even match in combat with most other weapons. The only other region of expertise where Ganondorf had the clear advantage was horsemanship, at which Nabooru was utterly abysmal.

There were other things Ganondorf had learned, as well. His days of bursting into the council room for every perceived injustice were over, as he had learned to find alternate solutions that were much more subtle and infinitely more reliable. As such, he had managed to secure the Desert Chamber of the training grounds for him to spar Nabooru in, something that could normally be arranged only by the training master.

As they neared the entrance to the training grounds, Ganondorf paused to regard Nabooru. She had also grown considerably more skilled in the years they had trained together, rising to the top of the trainees aspiring to be members of the Gerudo Trackers. Her considerable skill, coupled with her constant association with Ganondorf, made her name known by every woman and girl in the tribe.

Briefly, Ganondorf wondered what she would do. At fourteen years of age, she was almost ready to participate in the yearly raids of the Hylian settlements. Would she do so, and what would she think of it? To Ganondorf, it seemed as though she would join as soon as possible as a means of testing her skills in a real situation. Then again, he rarely knew what she was thinking about, making it hard to know for sure.

"Are you coming?" she called back. Ganondorf realized that he had fallen way behind, and sprinted to catch up with his friend.


	7. Patrol

Chapter 7: Patrol

The early morning stillness of Hyrule Field was interrupted by the sound of repeated hoof beats on the dirt path. A few seconds later, a half-dozen riders thundered past on black horses. They continued north on their mission, closer and closer to the Hylian settlements.

Nabooru rode in the rear of the party, taking in the scenery as they passed the Hyrule castle. With its massive wall around the outskirts of the town, it was a poor target for a raid. Unfortunately, it was also the only major settlement know to the Gerudos. For the past few years, their raiding parties had watched as the stone barrier around the Hylians grew higher with each visit. Always before, they had managed to find a way inside, but as their party slowed to a halt, Nabooru wondered if such a thing was possible anymore. Certainly they wouldn't be able to do it with only six warriors.

Not that they were supposed to do anything of the sort. It was almost unheard of for someone so young to join the advance scouting party, which is why Nabooru had been very excited when she had been selected at the age of fifteen, before she had even been in the main force of a raid. The raid itself interested her, but not in the way that might be expected. The prize itself, the men who were captured by the Gerudo to ensure the survival of the race, did not appeal to her. Instead, it was the challenge, the action, and, above all, the feeling of encountering a new place. In the Gerudo lands, she had explored most of the region for miles around the fortress, either with Ganondorf or simply by herself. Now, she was finally in a place completely unlike anything she had seen before.

The leader of the group held up a hand, and they slowed to a halt. The castle drawbridge was just ahead. Nabooru wondered if they would be able to simply walk in. Surely it couldn't be that simple.

"Something's wrong," the leader warned them. The other women all tensed, checking to make sure their weapons were in places that they could be easily grabbed. Strangely, Nabooru felt calmer than ever. This was what she had trained for. The smell of smoke drifted over the wall, filling their nostrils. They were Gerudo warriors, and no mere Hylian would be a match for them.

A deafening explosion, and then they were showered with the massive stones that made up the wall beside them. As the dust began to clear, Nabooru and the others turned to look at the gaping hole that had appeared in the wall. Dim at first but becoming cleared, three shapes emerged from the chaos. They were far too short to be Hylians or Gerudos, the only two races that Nabooru had ever seen personally. That also ruled out the Zora, who were supposed to be the tallest of the six races, and the Sheikah, who were close to the Hylians and Gerudo in body composition, but hadn't been seen in centuries. With only two possible races left, Nabooru also ruled out the Kokiri, who never appeared outside of their forest village. Only possibility remained.

It was one of the worst possible situations. Out of the six races of Hyrule, the Gorons were supposed to be the strongest fighters, both in brute strength and their ability to take a massive beating before beginning to show signs of weakness. Even though the Gerudo party outnumbered the Gorons two to one, even one of the rock-like warriors would have been a tough match for the desert warriors.

Two of the Gerudo appeared to be paralyzed with fear. They were all veterans, with several raids worth of experience, but nothing had ever prepared them for a situation such as this. The Gorons took advantage of this. Within seconds, they had curled themselves up and gained significant momentum toward their targets. The first went straight for the group leader, while another charged at the Nabooru's frozen allies.

Nabooru turned to find the third coming directly toward her. First, she abandoned her mount, leaping off as the Goron rammed into the horse with full force. Taking advantage of the temporary reduction in speed, she drew her swords and slashed. Nothing she could do even left a scratch. Luckily, the Goron couldn't use its devastating charge at such short range, so it was required to uncurl to fight. While the punches it threw at her were harder than anything she had ever seen, she easily dodged them, finding a weak spot in the Goron's stomach, allowing her to dispatch it. By this time, her team had already been eliminated, and Nabooru had a bigger problem to worry about. The second Goron was down in seconds with one of Nabooru's swords embedded in its chest, but the final one had managed to close the distance by that time. This one was much more skilled than either of the other two had been, and Nabooru quickly found herself losing ground.

A particularly had punch by the Goron left its side exposed for an attack, so Nabooru seized the opportunity, plunging her sword into the exposed side. A moment later, a massive fist slammed into her chest. Her weapon was torn from her hand. She felt her ribs break, her skin tear. As she tumbled backwards, her right hand miraculously closed on a sword dropped by one of the others. Her fingers tightened around it as she struggled to her feet.

The Goron let out a massive howl. Using its bare hand, it grasped the sword still stuck in its body, shattering the protruding blade instantly. Giving a glance at Nabooru, beaten and exhausted but still standing, the Goron turned and fled. As soon as it was out of sight, Nabooru collapsed to the ground, and the world went dark.


	8. Request

Chapter 8: Request

Every warrior in the Gerudo Fortress was on their highest level of alertness once they heard of the fate of the patrol. By the time word had reached them, a week had already passed. It might have been even longer, but the Gorons had left one of their victims, a twenty year-old swordmaster, alive in their haste to flee. The survivor, seriously hurt in the first charge of the Gorons, had been knocked unconscious for the rest of the fight. Waking up with multiple cracked ribs and broken bones, she had waited only long enough to identify the four corpses before heading south immediately. The body of Nabooru had not been found.

Among the elders of the tribe, there was no question about what action would be taken. While casualties were occasionally sustained on the yearly raids, they were almost always at the hands of the Hylians. For any of the other races to intervene and meddle with the desert tribe was unheard of. The only possible solution was war. Other matters, however, were not so clear, as was the case when Ganondorf submitted his request to the council.

"We're terribly sorry," Elder Kiraya told him, "but what you ask is impossible."

"You're not sorry at all," Ganondorf responded. In the past few weeks he had begun to develop a cynical nature, and even to the elders spoke as though they were constantly acting in their own best interests only. What startled the tribal leaders more than his sudden change in nature was how right he often was. "Tell me, why won't you let me go?" It was not a question.

"You will not go because you are not needed," Richou told him. Of all of the elders save the headwoman, she was the only one who never reacted differently when Ganondorf began to act unpredictably. "Since you are not needed, sending you north with the army is an unnecessary risk. To eliminate the risk, you will remain here."

"My job is to lead the warriors into battle."

"Your job is to lead the tribe into prosperity. The warriors have their own commanders who are more than adequate for the task."

"Your commanders are used to leading raids," Ganondorf pointed out, "not wars"

"By the same reasoning, you are used to leading neither raids nor wars," Kiraya replied. "You have received no more tactical training than them, and you have not shown yourself to be of significantly higher intelligence. You will remain here, and that decision is final." She glared at him, as if daring him to raise more objections. Ganondorf ignored the look, instead staring directly at the chief elder, who was sitting quietly with her eyes closed. The others may raise objections, but all real power came from the headwoman. There was no chance of convincing her to relent.

"You're all fools," Ganondorf announced before turning and walking briskly out of the chamber. As he passed the barracks, all of the warriors were preparing to set out as soon as possible. Only one was idle, sitting with her back against the wall.

"Terai," he called softly. She looked up at him, a young woman just in her twenties but so young looking that many in the tribe thought of her still as a child. She may have said something to Ganondorf, but her lips barely moved, and no sound reached his ears. She turned back to stare at the stone floor in front of her.

"I want to ask you something, Terai." She ignored him completely, but he maintained a gentle disposition. Losing his patience would do nothing to help him in this situation. He decided to risk the chance of her becoming annoyed. "Are you listening to me, Terai?"

"What is it?" He voice was so soft and quiet that Ganondorf had to strain his ears to be able to understand what was being said.

"I want you to remember," he explained. "Do you remember anything that might help us to find Nabooru?"

"I…" She began to tremble, and tears began to form in her eyes. Her head sank even lower. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," he said. He reached out and put his hand on her chin, gently redirecting her gaze upward, toward him. "You did well, Terai. The elders have decided to let you remain here while the armies go north, so that you can recover. Rest well."

A few days later, the warriors left to head north. The women who did not excel in fighting, as well as some who remained behind as a guard force, remained behind with Ganondorf, Terai, and all of the Elders except Richou. The corridors of the fortress were empty, so it was a few days before anybody realized that Ganondorf had gone missing.


	9. Runaway

Chapter 9: Runaway

"This is the spot."

Ganondorf moved to the place indicated by Terai. It looked just like any other place in the field.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Terai said nothing, leaving him to wonder just how well she remembered the attack. He looked around, searching for anything that might be an indicator of a fight taking place. It didn't take long for him to notice that the nearby castle wall was a slightly purer shade of white than the rest of the wall. Barely noticeable, but obvious once he saw it that that part of the wall had been replaced recently. This was the right spot.

"Now what?" he asked, thinking out loud. He hadn't thought about what he would do once he reached the spot where Nabooru was last known to be, hoping that something would become obvious once he arrived. Now that he was there, he had no idea what to do. The trail ended here.

A shout from the direction of the gate brought Ganondorf out of his thoughts. The drawbridge had been lowered, and a squad of armed Hylian soldiers was running toward them. Ganondorf hastily drew his sword. Ten opponents, most of them probably well-trained veterans. Not good odds.

"Terai." The woman said nothing, so Ganondorf hoped that she was listening. "I'm going to take care of them. Get inside the city and see if you can find out what might have happened to Nabooru." His plan was greeted with silence, which he hoped was his companion's way of showing her approval.

The first members of the squad were arriving, but waited instead of immediately attacking. They held their position until the entire group was there, at which time one of them, presumably the captain, stepped forward.

"Gerudos!" he called out. "If you drop your weapons and accompany us willingly, you will not be harmed, and your release will be negotiated with your tribe. Should you refuse to comply, your safety can not be guaranteed."

Ganondorf smiled. These opponents were used to easy fights, with excessive confidence in their fighting ability. They would prove to be no match for him, although their superior numbers might cause some trouble for him. He briefly considered asking Terai to stay and fight with him, but quickly dismissed the notion. Her body was not yet entirely healed, and her will to fight seemed to be almost gone. She would end up being more of a liability than a help.

Unless, of course, Ganondorf could manage to fight well enough to disguise her lack of fighting strength. If the captain was convinced that he was fighting _two_ Gerudo warriors of superior skill, as opposed to one warrior and his companion, he might be pressured into retreating. Unfortunately, it would be too difficult to pull off the deception, and a retreat now would mean trouble later once the remaining hylians were notified. Better to stick to the original plan.

No longer waiting for his opponents, Ganondorf launched himself into the enemy formation. Several soldiers were caught by the sheer insanity of the attack, falling quickly to his blade. The remaining ones put up a good resistance, but they fell just as their comrades had. Only the captain and one other remained.

"You have made your choice," the captain remarked. "Now you must deal with the consequences." Either he was too stupid to realize that eight of his men were taken out in a matter of seconds, or he truly believed that he had the skill to back up his words. This time, Ganondorf's strikes on the remaining two opponents were successfully deflected. Ganondorf concentrated on the second opponent: he would be weaker than his commander.

As he fought, he became aware that someone was approaching behind him. He turned and swung his sword, opening a wide cut across the captain's stomach. Ganondorf was appalled that the leader of the Hylian soldiers had been defeated by such an obvious counterattack. Only then did he realize his mistake.

In the Gerudo society, leadership in the armies was given to the best fighters. The Hylians must have used some different criteria, allowing a weaker fighter to ascend to a higher rank. It also meant that in that split second that Ganondorf had taken to dispatch the captain, he had turned his back on the strongest fighter in the squad. Moments later, his fears were confirmed as his vision went dark.


	10. Haven

Chapter 10: Haven

Confused, Nabooru woke up. She did not recognize the room in which she had slept, although that was to be expected. After losing consciousness deep within enemy territory, a soldier does not expect to wake up and find themselves at home. However, she did not seem to be a prisoner, either. The sheets on her bed, soaked through with sweat, were plain, but not what one would find in a prison cell. The door to the room stood open slightly, with no guard in sight.

Making up her mind, she decided to leave before someone came around to correct her situation. Her clothes were nowhere to be found, but instead she found a plain light-brown dress laid out, obviously intended for her. The thought of wearing something that would restrict her ability to fight disgusted her, but it was better than nothing- although not by much, in her mind. In the end, the desire to avoid notice won out over the desire to be able to fight, so a few minutes later, she emerged from the room.

She walked down a flight of stairs to the ground level of the building. While she would have preferred to simply exit out of an upper floor window, the only window in the room opened out over a fairly large marketplace. It was still early in the morning, but enough people were already out that she would be noticed.

"Oh, you're awake." The voice that suddenly came from behind her startled her, making her basic training kick in. Almost immediately, her hand was shooting towards where the other's throat would most likely be. Before it could make contact, someone applied gentle, yet forceful, pressure to her arm, bringing it to a stop.

"No need to be so uncivil to each other," the speaker remarked. He was in view now, a tall man with medium-length blonde hair. He wasn't particularly muscular, but something about him carried the air of strength.

"What do you want?" she demanded, never taking her eyes off his.

"Nothing," he responded kindly. "I would, however, appreciate it if you would permit me to remain conscious."

A muffled sound from the bottom of the stairs drew Nabooru's attention away, although she still was wary of the man who was now behind her. A young woman, probably only a few years older than Nabooru, stood in a side door.

"My fiancée, Erin," the man informed her. "She has been caring for you." Nabooru fought the impulse to trust the two of them and lower her guard.

"What do you want?" she repeated.

"We want you to be safe," the woman replied. "To be of another race and in Castle Town at this time could be very dangerous for you."

"It's true," the man added. "The Gorons and Zoras have gone to war with us and each other, the Sheikah have been gone for centuries, and the Kokiri… well, they still do whatever it is that they do in that forest of theirs, but nobody is exactly being friendly to us Hylians. If you'd been discovered at the sight of a Goron assault, it wouldn't have been pleasant for you, so I brought you back here to recover."

"Why?"

"I have eyes. You collapsed near the bodies of five of your comrades and two dead Gorons. You were clearly fighting them, so I managed to sneak you out before the other guards arrived."

"It might have been clear to others what had happened, but they would also know that you came to kidnap our people."

"W-we didn't…" Nabooru desparately searched for a way out of this situation.

"Don't think that we don't know what you do with the men you capture," the man advised. "You're every bit the enemy of our tribe as the Gorons."

"Why did you save me, then?" Silence followed her question.

"I really don't know," the man answered at last. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to work." He walked the rest of the way down the stairs, nudging Nabooru slightly as he passed, as if he didn't even know she was there. Without turning around, he walked out into the street and disappeared.

"Please excuse him," the woman requested. "He doesn't regret saving you, miss, um…"

"Nabooru,"

"If he'd had any doubts about bringing you here he wouldn't have done so," she assured. "However, it would still be a good idea if you left the city as soon as you can."

"What's going on here?"

"It's as he said earlier. The tribes are at war, and any race that hasn't revealed their intentions would make people nervous. The biggest threat is your Gerudos, since what few descendants of the Sheikah are left sided with us, and the Kokiri can't leave their forest." She sighed. "I kind of envy them, you know. No battles, none of their people leaving to never come back… When you get back to your people, make sure they stay out of this war. There's nothing to be gained from senselessly killing each other."

"How do I leave?"

"Follow the alleys away from the central market. Don't act like you're hiding anything, but try to stay in the shadows of the buildings if you can." She reached for a cloth bundle sitting on a nearby table. "These belong to you."

Inside the cloth were the twin swords that Nabooru had carried north with her. She thanked Erin and left the way she was told, avoiding contact with strangers as much as possible. After turning a few corners, a dark shape dropped in front of her.

"Nabooru?" it asked. It was a few seconds before she remembered the voice.

"Terai?" she asked, hesitantly.

"What happened?" the older woman asked. Nabooru told her about the fight and waking up in the strange house. She told about what she had learned, and the way she was told to leave.

"Continue the way you have been going," Terai commanded. "Keep going until you reach the village. I'll follow, but I have to make sure nobody follows us."

"Are you sure?"

"Go!" Despite Erin's instructions not to do anything in a suspicious manner, Nabooru turned and ran.


	11. Escape

Chapter 11: Escape

A single torch burned its light into Gannondorf's field of vision. He wanted more than anything else to just get up and put it out. Nothing in his cell had changed since he first woke up, and nothing was going to change. Unfortunately, the torch was on the other side of the iron bars. With nothing to do, he waited.

The sound of keys echoed throughout the dungeon, the jailer coming once again to hand over his daily bread. The man was horribly lazy, and assumed that Gannondorf was some kind of petty thief or such. Gannondorf wished more than anything for the chance to prove just how wrong the man was.

Like always, the jailer entered the dungeon with the food. Gannondorf remained motionless in his cell, sprawled across the floor as though he were asleep. When the guard came by, he looked into the cell and tossed the bread in.

"You there, get up!" he shouted. Gannondorf didn't respond. The man pulled out his key ring and opened the door. "I said _get up!_" he yelled. He took a step towards Gannondorf, then another.

On the third step, Gannondorf leapt up and looped the chain binding him to the wall around the jailer's neck. He pulled it tight and held it against the struggling man until the thrashing stopped. Once the man was dead, he grabbed the keys and freed himself. Within seconds, he was out of the cell and at the door to the dungeon.

Outside the door, a guard noticed him. "You there, stop!" he called out, leveling his spear at Gannondorf's chest. "What are you doing up here?" Gannondorf knocked the weapon aside, catching the soldier off guard by using more strength than he would expect. The guard kept hold of his weapon at first, but Gannondorf quickly grabbed the shaft of the spear and wrenched it out of his opponent's hands. The butt of the spear slammed into the guard's unprotected neck, collapsing him to the ground.

"Do you know how I got up here?" Gannondorf asked rhetorically. "I escaped because my jailor was arrogant enough to think that he had complete control over me. I suffer from no such illusions." He reversed the spear and thrust the tip of it into the downed guard's face. No enemy who was left alive could be trusted to not become a threat.

No amount of disguise could hide the fact that Gannondorf wasn't a Hylian, so he left the soldier's armor. He did, however, find a dagger and buckler, which he took for his own use. Footsteps around the corner alerted him to the arrival of more guards, probably alerted to his presence by the commotion. He rushed into them, killing the pair before they had time to react to him. For the moment, he couldn't hear anybody else approaching, so he also stopped to retrieve the weapons of his latest victims.

Cautiously, he proceeded in the direction the two soldiers had come from. There was no further resistance as he made his way through the corridors. He did his best to keep track of where he had been, but without any sort of idea as to where the dungeon was located relative to the exit, he might as well have been choosing passages at random.

By sheer accident, he found his way into an open courtyard of the castle. Unfortunately, it was occupied by a half-dozen guards. He managed to kill the closest one to him, but the second one he went after knocked his spear aside with a sword. The spear, weakened from the sword's strike, shattered on his opponent's shield on his next attempt to kill the man. Gannondorf tossed the useless weapon aside and pulled out his daggers. He fought and killed the soldier with the sword, but three others had surrounded him by that time.

Gannodorf attacked one of them, then dodged through a momentary gap in the barrier. He managed to secure himself in a corner, where he would be unable to run, but would only have to face one or two enemies at a time.

Taking a gamble, he took one of the daggers and threw it at the nearest soldier. The weapon was not well balanced for such an attack, and it missed completely. The second thrown dagger was adjusted accordingly, and it hit the man in the throat. He plunged his last dagger into the stomach of another guard. As he drew it out, he used his free hand to steal the man's sword. Finally equipped with a proper weapon, he finished off the remaining soldier in no time.

As he wiped the stolen blade clean on the grass, he counted the bodies of the dead soldiers. Six of them had been standing in the courtyard when he had arrived, but he had only defeated five of them. The entire castle would be alerted to his presence if he didn't get out quickly.

He dashed into another of the castle's hallways. At first there was no resistance, but he later encountered soldiers, singly and in pairs. When he could, he struck them down as he passed, but he couldn't afford to let himself get tied down to any one spot. He also began to encounter unarmed people. He paid them no attention, since they always stayed out of his way once they saw him approaching.

Finally, he found himself out in the open again. Unfortunately, it was only another courtyard. As he dashed across the field, soldiers began rushing into the room, armed with bows. Above them, a more soldiers lined up along the top of the walls, weapons aimed directly at him and not wavering for a second. They had set a trap for him, and he had blindly run right into it.

Gannondorf stood still in the middle of the room, weapons held limply at his sides. They hadn't shot him yet, which meant they probably didn't intend to do so anytime soon. It would be suicide for him to try to take even one step towards an exit. On the other hand, he might get another chance for escape if they captured him again. Maybe.

Deep down, Gannondorf doubted he would ever get another chance. The soldiers hadn't killed him because they were only soldiers, and as soldiers they took captives, rendering them completely harmless. That would change as soon as someone with rank arrived. One of their captains would immediately decide that he was too much of a risk to keep alive, and a single command would have Gannondorf pierced by a thousand arrows. In the unlikely event that he wasn't executed, they would never give him another opportunity.

"Drop your weapons!" one of them commanded. Gannondorf had no choice but to comply. He let the blades fall from his hands and stepped away. No fewer than six soldiers came up to him and shackled his arms together behind his back.

"Bring him to me." The voice was full of authority. The speaker, a man wearing elaborate armor, walked into the courtyard with an entire squad of guards flanking him. "I wish to speak with him."


	12. Alliance

Chapter 12: Alliance

Surrounded by soldiers, Ganondorf was led into another, smaller courtyard. He annoyed that he had gotten himself caught in a trap after working so hard to get himself freed, but he noted with satisfaction that none of the soldiers took their eyes off of him for a moment. If he was going to be executed, his captors would be afraid of him until the moment his head hit the floor, and even then they would treat him as a worthy opponent.

The elaborately armored man stopped at the far end of the courtyard. He turned to address the guards who surrounded Ganondorf.

"Release him," the man commanded. "You may leave us." The soldiers obeyed and left without question, although the bindings on Ganondorf's wrists were left on as a precaution. Behind him, the guards who were standing by the door also turned and followed the others out. The two of them were completely alone in the courtyard.

"You are one of the desert people, correct?"

Ganondorf remained silent. Nothing would be gained by answering the enemy's questions, and each question unanswered meant one more thing that the enemy wasn't aware of.

"Ah, the legendary silence of the Gerudo. Come now, what do you have to fear here?"

_What indeed,_ Ganondorf thought. _You have me disarmed and bound, but I could still kill you before you can get the guards to return. The only reason you're still alive right now is because anybody who does something as stupid as leaving themselves alone with a prisoner who has proven himself to be vary dangerous has to have a very good reason, or else they aren't a threat to me anyway. You'll tell me what your reason is no matter what I do, so until then you won't get anything from me._

"Are you thinking of killing me, Gerudo?" the man inquired. "According to the reports I have received from my soldiers, you are certainly capable of doing so. Of course, none of them are firsthand eyewitness accounts, but I think that the lack of direct witnesses speaks for your skill more than it takes away from the credibility of it. You certainly were very thorough when you were forced to kill, even though you did more running than fighting."

_What, does this man read minds? Or is he smarter than he looks? Certainly he isn't too smart, or else he would have realized how pointless his last statement was. I haven't killed him yet because he may have something to say, but everything he says brings me one step closer to deciding that he has no worth. A captive always should know what it is that keeps him alive, and I know he won't kill me until he says what he wanted to say. On the other hand, he's just as much my captive as I am his, but it remains to be seen whether or not he realizes what will kill him and what will spare his life._

"The fighters of your tribe are certainly fierce, but it certainly raises the question of why you keep to yourself," the man continued. "Why you only send a small band of warriors once a year. Why you send only your women, and never the men. Fortunately, we have the answers to all of these questions, because there is only one answer. I assume that I don't have to tell _you_ what it is."

Ganondorf decided to speak up. "What do you want?" he asked.

"You send your women because you don't have any men. In all of the years that your people and mine have fought each other in the spring, no male of your people has ever been seen. You survive only because you take them from our villages."

"Your point?"

"Why must there be conflict between our people? Join with us. Lend us the strength of your warriors, and we will send you our males. Together our people will become stronger than any of the other races."

"Why should we give our strength just so that we can gain by peace that which we already take by force?"

"This is true," the man conceded. "I've rarely heard any of your warriors falling in battle, although I suppose you bring their bodies back when you leave and wouldn't be inclined to tell us just how many of your troops fall. However, there is a more pressing concern. Have you ever seen a Goron?" He waited, clearly waiting for an answer that Ganondorf refused to give.

"No? Such a shame," he remarked as he went on. "They're wonderfully strong creatures… one wonders why your people don't use them to father your children, and gain their strength. What about the Zora? The Kokiri? Tell me, has there ever been a recorded case of a Gerudo who _wasn't_ fathered by a Hylian?"

For the first time since entering the room, Ganondorf found that something he hadn't foreseen had occurred.

"Your silence gives me all of the answers I need, Gerudo. You need the Hylians if you want your race to continue. Unfortunately for you, there's a bit of a war going on at this time. We've managed to hold off the Gorons for this long, but nobody knows how many of them there are, and even a single Goron juggernaut can decimate an entire squad without breaking a sweat. Lend us your strength, Gerudo."

From a door in the side of the courtyard, a blonde-haired soldier entered.

"Lord Daphnes!" he called. The rest of his message was told quietly to the armored man, so Ganondorf had no chance to hear it.

"Is that so?" he heard the armored man respond. "Well then, I suppose we should go take charge of the situation." He turned to Ganondorf. "Have you come to a decision yet, Gerudo? Will your people consider my proposal?"

"My lord, the situation requires immediate attention," the soldier insisted. "The stalemate will not last much longer."

"Very well then, I suppose this matter will have to be postponed… although I would like for the Gerudo to accompany us."

The two of them followed the soldier through the corridors. Ganondorf knew that he should have been memorizing turns for a possible escape, but found himself unable to concentrate on anything other than the offer he had been given. No matter what reasons there might be against it, the Gerudo did need the Hylians to remain if they didn't want to die out, and that was enough to warrant serious consideration of the alliance.

On the other hand, the Hylians had no such need for the Gerudo. How easy would it be for them to betray their Gerudo allies when all tribes except the Hylians were worn out from fighting? For that matter, what would stop them from simply switching to an alliance with the Gorons or Zora? To the Hylians, it would remove the threat of the annual raids forever. It would be better to remain out of the war unless the Hylians were in danger of losing, when they would be forced to take action.

Suddenly, they were at their destination. It was another courtyard, this one containing a sort of amphitheater upon which dozens of soldiers were massed together. At the base of the amphitheater, surrounded with a stone wall to the back and rings of soldiers on the other side, there was Terai. The woman's sword was out and ready, with her face showing none of the weariness that had plagued her since she'd arrived back at the fortress. Instead, there was only a blank, emotionless expression that the woman adopted whenever she fought. She had ceased to think about the world around her, and would fight purely by reflex. The soldiers, made alert by the ease with which Ganondorf had cut through their forces when he had escaped earlier, were keeping a respectable distance between them and the Gerudo.

"My my, what an uncomfortable situation," Daphnes remarked to Ganondorf. "Naturally, she'll kill several of the soldiers, but there is no way that she can take out all of them. She's as good as dead, unless something were to happen."

"Are you trying to pressure me into accepting your alliance?" Ganondorf asked irritably. "This only shows your lack of knowledge of the Gerudo. If soldiers must die for the good of our tribe, than they will do so."

"Heavens no, I'm not trying to manipulate you. My soldiers _shouldn't_ attack unless they are attacked first. Of course, there is a chance some may forget orders. We also can't guarantee what _your_ person may or may not do. You, however, can give whatever orders you please. I would advise that you give whatever orders you want before the entire situation gets out of your control."

"Provided that I accept your deal, of course," Ganondorf remarked. "Otherwise, we are treated as enemies and make it no farther than this courtyard, unless it is to your gallows."

"You know nothing of us Hylians," Daphnes informed him. "If you so choose, we will allow you to remain neutral in this war. You will both be allowed to leave without interference. We'll even overlook the fact that you killed so many of our men, since it _was_ us that attacked your people in the first place. You are only an enemy if you declare yourself to be, and _she_ is only an enemy if she attacks us. The choice is entirely up to you."

Out on the other side of the courtyard, the soldiers were oblivious to the conversation going on between Ganondorf and Daphnes. Terai raised her sword as she prepared to charge into the mass of soldiers. The soldiers saw her movement and likewise made their own adjustments, shifting their shields to provide them with more protection from attack.

"Terai!" Over the slight noise of the soldiers' armor and weapons, Ganondorf's voice carried clearly. "Terai, come here." The soldiers shuffled about in confusion for a few seconds, but quickly cleared a path as Terai strode directly through them toward Ganondorf and Daphnes. She came to Ganondorf's side and stopped.

"I am Ganondorf, ruler of the Gerudo people by the will of the great desert-spirit," he announced. "It is my decision and decree that from this day forth, the soldiers of the Gerudo shall cease all combat with the people of Hylian race, and that our two races should ally together for the duration of the current war."


End file.
